Peru 2008: Chucuito and visit to a farm/Lake Titicaca

July 3, 2008 We are comfortably accommodated in the Taypikala Hotel Lago, with a view of Lake Titicaca. We slept well and didn’t have to rush: we were able to have a leisurely breakfast this morning, as late as 8:00 a.m.! Today was a very interesting day! We started out at 9:00 am, very late […]

Peru 2008: Cusco to Puno

(It’s been quite awhile since I’ve updated my Peru journal. I hope to finish it in this round of posts!) July 2, 2008 Today we separated from the few people in our group who ended their trip at Cusco. They departed by air for Lima, while the 12 of us remaining proceeded by bus toward […]

Carefree: Weekly Photo Challenge

Carefree to me means summertime, when the warm weather allows you to walk barefoot in the grass, when you can wiggle your toes in the sand at a beach, when you can have your morning coffee outside on the deck instead of inside. Carefree, to me, is Hawai’i. Animals can be carefree too, and playful. […]

Austin: State capitol and a Senate filibuster

June 25, 2013 Austin’s capitol is quite lovely, constructed of pink marble. One of the monuments outside the capitol commemorates the Confederate dead. The capitol dome has a star in the center, representing Texas’s history as the Lone Star State. Lone stars were ubiquitous in adorning bridges, monuments, buildings, etc. The floor in the center […]

Texas Journal 2013 – food trailers, barbecue and ice cream

In Austin, one of the first things I noticed was the ubiquitous food trailers. I even saw a food court that was all trailers! These places seem temporary, but in fact, they’re not. With pretty much year-round warm or hot weather, tables with umbrellas set up around the trailer are popular places for people to […]

Weekly Photo Challenge: One shot, two ways

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, Wisconsin is a beautiful setting, with animals to see and trails to hike on. One area contains a lake with waterfowl, mostly ducks and Canada geese. The first photo is of the cattails that grow along the edge of the water. Cattails provide food and shelter and are […]